Dail questions about a $225,000 New York Times advertisement taken out by Aer Lingus to promote its transatlantic connections to Europe through Dublin have been left unanswered.
The advertisement on three full pages appeared in the business section of the New York Times on Tuesday, September 30th. It opened with the message: "Presenting a map for those who continue to believe Aer Lingus only flies to Ireland."
The following two pages showed a map of Europe with all of the Aer Lingus connections to 23 city destinations.
The New York Times has confirmed that its advertising rates for full pages in its business section are $75,000 a page, down to $50,000 at the lowest discount.
The advertisement confused the distinction between the US immigration pre-clearance advantage available to passengers to the US and "US customs clearance", which it said was an added convenience.
A il question to the Minister for Tourism from the Clare Fianna Fail TD, Mr Tony Killeen, was not allowed. Mr Killeen asked Dr McDaid if the spending on the advertisement was regarded as good value for the Irish taxpayer and in the interests of Irish tourism.
The Ceann Comhairle, Mr Seamus Pattison, ruled that Mr McDaid has no official responsibility to the Dail in relation to the matter, which he said was one for Aer Lingus.
Mr Killeen said: "The claim since 1993 that the Aer Lingus transatlantic service is managed from Shannon has now stretched credibility to breaking point. Because Aer Lingus does not have any Shannon connections to Europe, which IBEC and Limerick Chamber of Commerce are crying out for, it is plain that the New York Times advertisement is entirely geared to build up Dublin as the European hub which Shannon was bidding for in the Atlantic Express plans of Aer Rianta.
"The New York Times advertisement is only the latest example of Aer Lingus promoting its own interests and leaving Shannon totally out of the picture."
Mr Killeen has been told that he will have to wait until the end of the year for Dail answers about the number of Aer Lingus flights to the US from Shannon which were delayed or cancelled this summer.
Replying to Mr Killeen's claims, the Aer Lingus commercial manager at Shannon, Mr Stephen Hunter, said the airline had a mandate from its shareholders to run a commercially successful operation and to ensure the future of the group in an increasingly competitive industry.
This meant the airline ensuring that each part of its operation was profitable in its own right as well as contributing to the profitability of the company, he said.
"The transatlantic route has traditionally been very seasonal and has been inherently unprofitable until recent years. The Aer Lingus strategy for the North Atlantic involves substantial profitable growth which will include extending the season beyond the summer months.
"This strategy underpins Irish tourism by enabling Aer Lingus, through gaining this additional traffic, to create substantial yearround service on the transatlantic route to both Shannon and Dublin."
Mr Hunter added that such marketing campaigns were in the best commercial interests of Aer Lingus and therefore in the best interest of the Irish taxpayer. He said that they would help sustain the substantial growth by the national carrier on the transatlantic routes over recent years.